Kevin Shattenkirk’s debut with the Caps on Tuesday night was largely met with positive reviews from both fans and analysts. The newest member of the Caps came as advertised, showcasing superior skating and puck skills that have elevated him to be one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL today.
We’ve already covered plenty about Shattenkirk, including that he’s a top pairing quality player and his arrival could cause a shakeup on the Caps blue line. But, now that we’ve all seen him play a game for the Caps, here are some numbers to show that, yes, he’s as offensively-skilled as he appeared to be on Tuesday night in New York.
Since 2014, 238 defensemen have skated 1000-plus minutes. The numbers below show that Shattenkirk is in the top tier of these players when it comes to offensive production.
- Shattenkirk ranks 10th in goals with 30
- His 97 assists rank 16th and his 48 primary assists rank 15th
- He showed last night he isn’t afraid to put the puck towards the net. The numbers back that up as he’s 26th in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time with 12.6
- Shattenkirk has 434 shots on goal, also good for 26th
- He trails only Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang in points per 60 minutes of time with 1.9
And to top it all off, Shattenkirk’s long-range, casual, and deadly accurate pass to Alex Ovechkin on the PP should put at ease the fans who have pulled their hair out over how inaccurate these passes have been since Mike Green left. Check it out:
Shattenkirk's A+ one-time pass to Ovi. I'm already in love. pic.twitter.com/FbucyC3jne
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) March 1, 2017
So, if your eyes told you last night that this new guy looks pretty good, your eyes aren’t deceiving you.
Stats from stats.hockeyanalysis.com
Headline photo: Bruce Bennett
